


Stay And Then Fly

by thehazelverse



Series: 3rd Gym Heroes [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Minor Violence, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent loss mention, superhero au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-25
Updated: 2016-07-18
Packaged: 2018-04-23 09:10:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4871200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thehazelverse/pseuds/thehazelverse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been four years since Akaashi sat in Bokuto's bedroom and revealed who he really was -Nighthawk, the vigilante- and confessed his feelings to the ace that stole his heart.</p><p>But things are changing (some for the better, others not so much) and Akaashi and Bokuto have to adapt to the changes that come their way, along with a little help from a dork on a motorbike, a small ball of sunshine, a reluctant superhero with glasses and a 6'4 lizard baby.</p><p>Is all hope lost? Probably.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> HERE IT IS!! The long awaited sequel!!! aaaa I hope this series hasn't been forgotten about :O
> 
> Yeahhh, if you haven't noticed already, the pairing changed a bit.... I'm sorry if anyone who read the first one doesn't like bokuakakuro, but this is the direction I wanted to take this series and I'm really looking forward to exploring their relationship ^_^ 
> 
> To make more sense of the plot, you can read the first fic which is called 'Fade and Then Return' first if you want.
> 
> Hope you enjoy and stay tuned for more because I have some AWESOME ideas on where I want this story to go!!!

_"Okay mother, that's us ready to go," a woman in a smart dress called through the house while slipping her arms though the sleeve of her coat. She turned her attention to the little boy with dark unruly hair standing at the bottom of the stairs and held out her arms for a hug. He returned it gladly, then turned to his father to hug him too._

_"Your grandma is going to cook you a lovely dinner while we're out, Keiji," his mother assured, "so you be a good boy and eat up all the food she offers you, okay?”_

_He agreed and his mother lightly ruffled his hair, then she waved goodbye to his grandmother who had joined them in the poarch._

_Sometimes his parents would go places without him, but he didn’t really mind because even though he was a pretty well behaved child for his age, he knew his parents needed a night off or two. And anyway, his gran made amazing meals when he visited._

_"You'll see us soon Keiji- don't worry."_

_He did see them soon, but not for very long, and not the way he wanted to. It wasn't difficult for a smart child like Akaashi to figure out why pictures of his parents were on national news, along with the words ‘married couple murdered’ the morning after, and why his grandmother was sobbing while trying to usher him away from the television…_

 

The memory fades away as Akaashi slowly wakes up to the familiar sounds of his apartment. That night was a _really_ long time ago- about fourteen years in fact. He’s twenty now and leading a double life as a university student as well as a vigilante called Nighthawk. He doesn't just fight crime for them now; he does it for his grandmother who’s still incredibly healthy at the age of eighty seven, his friends (both new ones from university and his old teammates), and of course, he does it for Bokuto; the boy he loves.

Bokuto's arm is wrapped around him, making it a little hard for him to move anywhere, but he manages to wriggle on to his other side to face Bokuto.

The early rays of the morning sun slip through the gaps in the curtain and the light shines from the window, all the way across the room to their bed. If Bokuto's hair had been gelled like it usually is, it would've maybe created a spiky silhouette but his hair is flat and fluffy- just the way Akaashi likes it best. 

He reaches out to run a hand through it and the sun shows the dust particles dancing around his slim fingers. When the skin on his fingertips touches Bokuto’s hair, the latter stirs a little and lazily opens one eye. Bokuto closes it again and smiles at Akaashi.

“‘mornin,” cooes Bokuto and leans in to share an eskimo kiss with Akaashi, only his eyes are still closed and he’s about to bump his nose against Akaashi’s forehead instead. Akaashi shuffles up so no awkward collisions happen and their noses rub together gently. This is how Akaashi wakes up every morning since he joined Bokuto at university, and not once has he wanted to wake up any other way.

“So,” says Bokuto while using the arm draped across Akaashi’s waist to pull him closer, “the plan for today: kiss Keiji,” he pauses to do so, “make some breakfast and then do some morning training. But first, I need to pee.”

Akaashi already misses Bokuto’s strong arm around him as his boyfriend -reluctantly- gets up and walks through the door of their en suite.

“I’m okay with that plan,” he replies and projects his voice so Bokuto can hear him from the bathroom, “considering I made it last night.” 

“Maybe you needed reminding?” Says Bokuto over the flush of the toilet, "Actually, you wouldn't, who am I kidding!"

Akaashi has already managed to do the impossible task of getting out of bed in the morning once Bokuto returns. His boyfriend suggests a race to the kitchen- Akaashi lets him win, but only because he isn't trying.

"Aw you're no fun, Keiji," whines Bokuto as he hops up onto the kitchen counter and swings his legs.

"That's not what you were saying last night."

He says it with the slightest smirk on his face -so small it's barely there- and in his head he's thinking he's made way better comebacks than that, but of course Bokuto splutters and acts as though Akaashi just layed down the sickest burn.

They have a busy day ahead of them, so Akaashi makes them both a morning coffee while Bokuto attempts to put toast in the toaster while still sitting on the countertop. He almost falls when he stretches to reach the bread bin, but he miraculously manages it.

Bokuto is so much more of a morning person compared to Akaashi, but once the latter has his cup of coffee to keep him going for the day, he’s ready to go before Bokuto has even changed out his boxers.

And despite this happening almost every day, Bokuto never fails to be surprised at how fast Akaashi is at getting ready (when really it's just Bokuto is incredibly slow).

 

Years ago, when Akaashi was training himself up to fight bad guys in the middle of the night, he used an abandoned warehouse in an industrial estate, not too far away from his grandmother's house. Now, he takes Bokuto here every weekend when they don't have any lectures.

It's got all the equipment they need: weights, tumble mats for sparring, and Akaashi has acquired extra punching bags for Bokuto, since punching seems to be his best move.

They start with some sparring at ten AM, as the sun rises higher and isn't glaring straight through the window on the right wall; as much as the sun makes the warehouse look beautiful and atmospheric, Akaashi prefers not to have it in his eyes while training.

But it seems that Akaashi can't blame his loss on the sun when Bokuto has him pinned to the ground with no way for him to escape. In the early days of training, Bokuto refused to even “lay a finger on that gorgeous face of his” but once his boyfriend realised that Akaashi _wouldn't_ go easy on him, he started fighting Akaashi and slowly got better at it.

He's proud of Bokuto, glad to see how far he's come from the boy who helped defeat that drunk gang years ago, but he can't help but feel worried for himself- if Bokuto can beat him now, what's stopping a criminal with the same build as Bokuto coming along and defeating Akaashi? He needs to up his power levels; become stronger, faster, so he can carry on protecting the ones he loves.

Though it looks as if Bokuto has a little more training to go when Akaashi notices him get distracted by a strand of hair that's fallen from the mass of gelled up spikes as it tickles him between the eyebrows- Bokuto's hair is his Achilles heel.

Akaashi springs back into action and knees Bokuto in the gut. He stumbles back and Akaashi keeps aiming kicks in nonlethal areas, avoiding the face all together. He’s giggling though and so is Bokuto who’s trying to block the kicks and keep himself from snorting with laughter at the same time.

Giving up on kicking, Akaashi charges towards Bokuto who’s already caught on to what Akaashi’s doing and turns around so he can jump on for a piggyback. Bokuto loved giving piggybacks back in high school and not much has changed since then. 

When the two of them are alone together, Akaashi really lets down his walls and joins in on Bokuto’s antics because for some reason, no one else really wants to. Sometimes he wishes he could be more outgoing and bubbly like his boyfriend so he had a companion for his shenanigans, but he would always dismiss the thought. It wouldn’t feel right. He couldn’t change his personality -not for anyone- and Bokuto loves him the way he is.

Maybe if Bokuto met someone with the same sense of humour as him -someone he could joke around with and pull pranks with- then maybe he wouldn’t feel like he was a nuisance to everyone- not that he truly is anyway. Bokuto says that having Akaashi as his best friend and boyfriend is enough though, so he should start believing him, right?

"Alright! My turn!" says Bokuto happily which pulls Akaashi out of his thoughts.

He goes along with it and carries Bokuto around the warehouse on his back. It's more like training than anything else though- Bokuto’s heavier than most of the weights they own. After a while of running around and bokuto spreading his arms out and hooting, Akaashi starts to tire and slows down to fall to his knees.

“Akaashi?! Don’t die on me! _please!_ ”

 

For a Saturday night, the streets are surprisingly quiet, with only two lunatics in black costumes -one is arguably sane; the other... Well, have you seen his hair?- and one stray black cat in sight.

"I spy something beginning with...." says Bokuto while walking backwards in front of Akaashi. The latter watches where Bokuto is placing his feet and has his arms ready to catch him if he trips.

"C!" He shouts.

 _Jeez,_ thinks Akaashi, _way to make it obvious- it's cat._

He voices this, but Bokuto shakes his head and so Akaashi has a better look at his surroundings. Could it be car? cables? _cake?_ He doesn't see any of those and they don't wear capes, so it can't be that.

"I don't know," he admits, "what is it, Koutarou?"

Bokuto lifts a hand and points his finger at Akaashi. He wonders if Bokuto’s maybe forgotten how to spell his ABCs.

"C is for cutie!" Laughs Bokuto and takes Akaashi's hands in his.

"That's not how the game works," argues Akaashi but it's a pretty measly protest Bokuto knows this too from the pleased look on his face.

Bokuto keeps a hold of Akaashi’s hands and stops walking backwards. He opens his mouth to say something, but he’s a little hesitant. Akaashi knows bokuto is going to bring up something he’s nervous about asking.

“Keiji… I was thinking,” he mumbles and avoids Akaashi’s gaze, “Y’know how you said you didn’t want any attention from press or the public or anyone like that?”

 _Oh shit, here we go, ___thinks Akaashi.

“Don’t you think we could use the publicity to our advantage? let the bad guys know we run the show?” 

Akaashi doesn’t know how to break it to Bokuto; the more they get noticed by people, the more likely people will start invading their privacy to find out who they really are behind the costumes of Nighthawk and Captain Owl. The bad guys wouldn’t know who ‘ran the show’- they’d just know more information to use against them. In conclusion, more publicity was a _bad_ idea. 

However, when Akaashi finds the words to tell him this, the sound of an exhaust and rubber on tarmac cuts off his explanation. They turn in the direction of the noise and see a black shiny motorbike with red stripes down the side turning the corner and heading their way. 

If the person on the motorbike is someone they should hide from, then it's too late for that for the vehicle is going so fast they would never stand a chance at running, so Bokuto and Akaashi stand their ground as the stranger slows to a stop beside them. 

“I have to say,” a voice that’s most likely a man's says, though it's muffled from the helmet he’s wearing, “you two are _very_ difficult people to find.” 

The man on the motorbike flips up the visor on his helmet and Akaashi can see his face -if this guy is a vigilante like himself, he's not doing a very good job at keeping his identity a secret. He has a slightly smug grin on his face and an intense gaze that makes Akaashi feel shivers down his spine. Bokuto is surprisingly quiet behind him. 

“The name’s Neko Nya Man,” he says and extends his arm for a handshake, “It’s nice to meet you.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okaaayy new chapter!! This ones a lot longer than the first and has much more plot ^_^ hope you enjoy!!!

Akaashi stares blankly at the stranger as he continues to sit on his motorbike with the same expression on his face.

"Neko... Nya.... Man?" 

This can't even be happening to them... Surely they aren't well known enough to have superhero wannabes bothering them. And not even young ones- this man is most likely the same age as himself or Bokuto.

The man on the motorbike suddenly starts laughing and the change in demeanour surprises Akaashi.

"Oh you should see the look on your faces!" He chuckles while pretending to wipe a tear, "I'm just kidding, it's Nekuro but you can call me anytime."

Akaashi hears Bokuto suppress a laugh behind him.

"I don't really see a reason why we'd need to call you... _Nekuro,_ " Says Akaashi, starting to feel a little irritated and skeptical of Nekuro, "especially when we don't know who you are."

"Yeah, we'd need a number with that name!" Adds Bokuto in a flirty but joking manner, "so are you here to use pick up lines all night or do you have something to tell us?"

Nekuro goes to rub the back of his head, but realises he's still got his helmet on and tries to cover up the move by pretending to adjust the helmet.

 _Whatever this man has to say is going to be stupid,_ thinks Akaashi.

"Okay how do I put this..." Contemplates Nekuro, "basically, you guys fight crime and are super good at it, I've got the Intel and weaponry that might come in handy for you, so let's form a team!"

Bokuto gasps. Akaashi knows that sound well; it's the kind of sound Bokuto makes when he sees anything with an owl on it in the shops, or one of their volleyball teammates suggests they get ice cream after practice. The sound lets Akaashi know Bokuto likes what he sees or hears (or smells in the case of a good bbq).

"Like The Avengers without superpowers? _Nice!_ " He whoops and Akaashi hates to burst his bubble, but he has to.

"We're not interested." 

"Aw come on Keiji- he seems cool!" Whispers Bokuto so Nekuro can't hear them. He takes hold of Akaashi's shoulder and shakes him lightly but Akaashi stands his ground.

Akaashi gives Bokuto the signal he usually uses to say they're done patrolling for the night and Bokuto nods his head. 

"Sorry Nekuro, but I stick with _Nighthawk,_ " Bokuto emphasises his vigilante name mostly for his own benefit, so he doesn't say Akaashi or Keiji by accident, "I'd totally meet up with you just for coffee or something 'cause you seem like a laugh but..." He shrugs his shoulders, "secret identities man- they suck."

"Sure. I understand," Nekuro gives a small shrug and Akaashi can tell he's disappointed (he tries not to let that get to him), "I guess it wasn't meant to be."

He revs the engine on his motorcycle and flips the visor back down, but not before saying, "maybe I'll see you around sometime," and then with one more rev, he drives off into the night.

The two of them stand on the kerb in silence. Bokuto's lack of words start to worry Akaashi- he did seem like he wanted to work with that guy... Was Bokuto annoyed with him?

".... Neko Nya Man should stop revving that motorbike or he'll disturb his fellow neko friends!"

Akaashi laughs when he sees the stray cat from earlier scurrying behind a dustbin at the fading sound of Nekuro's bike. Bokuto leans his head on Akaashi's shoulder and the latter puts his arm around his boyfriend to bring him closer.

"Look, I respect your choice Keiji. You're the hero here- if anything, I'm just a sidekick..." Bokuto's own words start to pull him into a mini dejected and Akaashi decides it would be a wise decision to change the subject, only Bokuto carries on with his point, "but don't you think Nekuro could've helped us? He said he had weapons, right? I bet they're a lot better than our crappy knives... We could be better Keiji. Don't you want to be stronger than we are now?"

Maybe they do need to be stronger, and maybe Nekuro is their answer, but can't help but be selfish and want to stick with what they're familiar with. What they have is good -safe- and adding weapons means Nekuro- adding weapons also means danger. Maybe that's what unsettled Akaashi; Nekuro and danger really were connected.

He sighs and says, "let's just go home Koutarou. It's getting late."

Didn't he say change would be good for them though? Wasn't he the one that thought a friend who would joke around with Bokuto,in a way that he never did, would be good for them? Did he just take that opportunity away from Bokuto?

He pushes the thought down before he has to push down the guilt and the possible regret too.

 

A week later, Bokuto and Akaashi find themselves swapping their fighting gear for the smartest clothes they own -unfortunately for Bokuto, that means his old school shoes and a cheap suit he bought for emergencies.

Akaashi however, takes a little more pride in his appearance than his boyfriend by buying a suit that actually fitted him right. Back in high school- Akaashi would always end up wearing clothes too big for him -most of the time the case was he was just wearing Bokuto's volleyball jacket instead of his own- but the 25th anniversary party of his university course is not the place for a well loved Fukurodani jacket.

He looks over to to Bokuto who's got ready surprisingly quickly- or well, as ready as Bokuto can manage to be.

"Bokuto please tuck in your shirt. We're not going to school." Akaashi dropped the 'san' a long time ago but he still used his boyfriend's surname when the time felt right.

"Yessir," Bokuto salutes and fixes his shirt while Akaashi takes a tie from his wardrobe. He can hear Bokuto loitering about their room, then walking up behind him.

"Let me do your tie?" Asks Bokuto with a lopsided and sheepish grin on his face. It's so endearing that Akaashi can't refuse.

He faces Bokuto and lets him take as many attempts at tying the tie as he likes, even if they should really get going soon. When Akaashi decides they should just let himself tie it in the taxi to prevent them being late, Bokuto gets the knot perfect and whoops with joy.

"D'ya see that Keiji? I am the best!"

Akaashi just rolls his eyes while trying to hide the fact he's smiling (even though Bokuto knows that fact by now anyway) and ushers him out their apartment door.

 

They arrive at the party's venue -a huge conference room on the top floor of a fancy hotel in Tokyo- and Akaashi says hello to his university lecturers. He introduces Bokuto to them. Since Bokuto does Sports Science instead of Biochemistry, he's only been invited to the party as a plus one; that doesn't mean some of the lectures don't know who he is already, considering Bokuto always meets Akaashi outside the lecture hall when their classes finished.

It doesn't take long for them to make their way through the crowds and mingle. They share a lot of the same friends -most from their years at Fukurodani Academy together- but many of them went to other universities.

Bokuto ends up finding some friends from his own course and goes off to drink some beers with them. Akaashi had worried Bokuto would feel left out in a room full of biochemists, so he's glad that isn't the case.

He excuses himself from the group of friends he's chatting to to put down his empty champagne glass, but bumps into someone on the way to the table.

He doesn't _think_ it was his fault, but he still turns around to make sure the person is alright.

"Hey, watch where you--" the man Akaashi bumped into stalls when he sees Akaashi and stares at him like he's never seen another human being before.

The man staring at him was Neko Nya Man- or whatever the hell he called himself, Akaashi couldn't remember- he was sure of it. Especially when he put no effort into a disguise.

 _No wonder he's staring,_ thinks Akaashi, _he obviously recognises me too.... Shit._

That meant his own disguise wasn't good enough; maybe he should wear a balaclava. A balaclava would keep his face warm in the coming winter month, at least.

"You!" Is all he manages to say when Nekuro makes no move to start speaking.

"Me?" Is all he replies with and Akaashi starts to wonder of this guy maybe _is_ an idiot after all.

"Oh! _You!_ " He suddenly blurts out which startles Akaashi and he replies in the exact same way. "Me...?"

All Akaashi wants to do is groan and stick his head in the bucket of ice beside the complimentary drinks because of the ridiculousness of the conversation and because he's so confused. _Does this guy recognise him or not?! Did he blow his own cover?!_ He makes a vow never to bump into strangers again.

"So," says Nekuro, who continues on with a grin, but at least has the decency to look a little embarrassed, "we meet again Nighthawk. Where's your partner in (fighting) crime, Captain Owl?"

"Even if he was here, why would I tell you? I thought I told you we don't need your help so stop stalking us."

"Stalking you?" Questions Nekuro, "y'know as much as it may seem I am to you, I was actually invited here because I have friends on the course... Wait, don't tell me you do Biochem."

When Akaashi reluctantly nods, Nekuro curses under his breath then laughs.

"How come I've never seen you or Captain Owl on campus before?"

"Well I blend into the crowd, but it's a mystery how you've never seen Bok-- sorry, Captain Owl before." _Whew that was close._

If Nekuro noticed his slip up then he doesn't voice it. Instead he says, " _blend in?_ Have you looked in a mirror lately?"

But before Akaashi can even comprehend what that means, he notices someone out of place in the throng of sharp suits and cocktail dresses. They would've gone unnoticed to Akaashi, if it weren't for the gun being taken out of the man's holster from his belt.

A woman in the crowd must have seen it too though- she yells, "Gun! Duck!" And amazingly, a lot of the people do as she says when they see the man with the gun in his hands, standing out like a sore thumb.

What scares Akaashi the most though is that for a moment, the man's eyes were on him and the gun was being raised to point at him.

With all the people in the room now looking at the gunman though, he hesitates, which gives Akaashi the chance to do the opposite. He quickly but quietly sneaks though the groups of people towards the gunman, aware that Nekuro is following suit.

Security are already surrounding the man -all holding guns of their own- to protect the party guests and someone in the corner of the room is calling the police urgently. That doesn't mean they won't need his help though.

"Sir. Please put the gun down." Commands one of the members of security. The man shakes like a leaf; like a coward. Possibly even like someone who was unwilling to be in this situation in the first place...

"I'm begging you," he whispers to no one in particular and actually does lower the gun, "please don't put me in jail. They said they'd kill my family if I didn't fulfil my duties to them."

 _Fulfill his duties to who?_ Akaashi doesn't like the sound of this one bit. It feels like something bigger is headed, which can only mean trouble- and a lot of it.

It shouldn't really surprise him when a few of the guests take out guns from inside their suits, their purses or a holster strapped on their ankles and aim them at the security guards. In a place this big, one man can't commit a crime on his own- he needs backup, and a party guest is the perfect disguise for that backup to get in.

Each rouge party guest and security guard has all their attention on making the right move and outsmarting the other. This gives Akaashi less work to do before the police get here with full enforcement. Before he can slide through the hall unnoticed to deal with the man in the middle, Nekuro stops him.

"You can't even bring a knife to a gun fight, let alone _nothing!_ " He hisses, but his face shows concern for Akaashi, "look, I know you don't trust me, but I'm not the enemy right now; he is. Look at him."

Akaashi does, and what he sees is no longer the scared man with six guns aimed at him- he sees a man on a mission now; a beast hungry for blood, with anger and fear controlling his body and mind.

"I can get is out of here safely- all I need is for you to trust me." Says Nekuro as Akaashi faces him again. He looks one hundred percent serious and one thousand percent honest, so what choice does Akaashi have but to trust the stranger- not without a few conditions though.

"Okay, but we're not leaving here without Captain Owl," 

"Of course," says Nekuro and and takes something out his pocket, "I'll create a distraction for us."

Nekuro throws the item from his pocket on the ground and suddenly the room is clouded in a foggy mist which prevents Akaashi from even seeing a few meters in front of him.

"This way," whispers a voice near his ear -Nekuro's- and he grabs Akaashi's hand to guide him through the room. Nekuro miraculously manages to get them out of the conference room and into the main hall without crashing into any walls of people.

Does this guy have thermal vision in his retinas or something? Wonders Akaashi to himself, but his question is answered -sort of- when they're out of the fog and he can see Nekuro's face.

An odd pair of steampunk looking goggles cover Nekuro's eyes; the green tinted lenses seem to twist like the ones on a camera, but the metal cat ears on the top ruin the coolness of the glasses (yet make them pretty awesome at the same time).

“Night vision goggles," explains Nekuro while lifting them up so they flip back his chaotic fringe and stay on top of his head, "one of the many cool gadgets you'd be able to have access to if we teamed up."

With all the hair swept back, away from his face, Nekuro looks a lot more approachable to Akaashi- more like someone he and Bokuto could fight side by side with.

More like a friend.

They sprint through the hotels floors (starting with the bar), trying to find Bokuto. However the news of the commotion upstairs must have spread, as many of the guests are running around, panicking, making it harder for the two of them to find him.

"Keiji!" Yells Bokuto from inside a lift that's about to close when Akaashi and Nekuro get out the lift on the other side.

Akaashi can't get to the lift in time and just hopes Bokuto has enough sense to get off on the next floor and run down the stairs back to him. He hopes.

"Keiji, huh?" Asks Nekuro. 

"If you're gonna start using my name," says Akaashi, sighing, "I'd prefer it if you called me Akaashi."

"Okay, Akaashi, I'm Kuroo Tetsurou... What? Nekuro was a cover name, isn't that obvious?" Replies Kuroo when Akaashi gives him a funny look.

Akaashi is starting to lose faith in his boyfriend's smartness -which is _definitely_ there, it just isn't obvious to most people- when Bokuto never returns to their floor. 

The sight of spiked black and white hair though coming through the doors beside the lift told Akaashi he should never doubt Bokuto.

Bokuto runs to Akaashi as if he was in some sort of clichéd reunion from a romantic movie and brings him into a tight hug.

"Oh look! It's Neko Nya Man!" He says over Akaashi's shoulder 

"Hey, that was a joke! I said it's Nekuro!"

"You told me it was Kuroo." Retorts Akaashi. He lets go of Bokuto to face Kuroo, frowning.

"Wow make up your mind dude!"

Kuroo scoffs, "having many identities can be fun... I'm sure you'd know all about it, Captain Owl. Or should I say, Bokuto!"

"How did you know!" Gasps Bokuto.

"Your name _literally_ means owl..."

"Great, we all know each other now let's go." Says Akaashi urgently and shoves both of them towards the stairs.

They run out of the building, blending in with the crowd of party goers escaping along with them. The police don't even notice them -like they even would when they're out of costume- as they barge into the hotel to sort out the mess that Akaashi technically started. It pains him to back away from a fight, but he knows this one was too dangerous for him to make it out safely.

Kuroo directs them to a side street where a bright red ferrari is parked in the shadows. He takes out car keys from his pocket ( _no, this can't be his car_ ) and clicks the button so the headlights flash twice ( _holy shit, it is_ ).

"Jesus Christ, who _are you?!_ " Yells Bokuto as he stares at the car wide eyed.

"Not Nekuro, apparently," says Akaashi with a straight face but Bokuto hollers and hoots at his comment which makes Akaashi's lips quirk up a little.

Kuroo sighs, but he's smiling so he obviously finds the exchange funny, and opens the driver's side to get in the sports car. 

"I call shotgun!" Sing-songs Bokuto and jumps into the seat beside Kuroo while Akaashi climbs into one of the tiny back seats behind- he's practically in the boot of the car, so Bokuto probably wouldn't fit in there anyway.

Kuroo starts the car with just the press of a button, shifts the gear stick, grips the wheel and accelerates forward. He takes the car out of the dark side street and out onto the busy main roads of Tokyo.

"Okay, you have some serious explaining to do," says Bokuto, facing Kuroo so Akaashi sees his side profile illuminated by the different coloured lights of restaurants and shops, "'cause I've been trying to think of any celebrities named Kuroo and I can't think of any!" Bokuto suddenly slams his hand on the car dashboard, " _you're not a pimp are you?!_ "

After getting over the initial surprise of Bokuto's outburst, Kuroo snorts, "You don't have to be a celebrity or a to be rich y'know- ever heard of Tokyo Bank? Yeah? Well my parents own it..."

Akaashi stares at Kuroo in the rear view mirror and meets Kuroo's eyes for a moment before he brings his attention back to the road.

"I know what you're thinking 'spoiled rich kid living off his parents income' but I'm not using the money to be lazy and goof off, okay? I do a lot of undercover work in gangs with the name Nekuro and get useful information from them, then rat them out to the police."

 _Rat... How ironic,_ Akaashi thinks as he looks at the cat shaped air freshener dangling on the rear view mirror.

"What I'd really like to do is what you guys do; fight crime, save civilians, be a hero! But rumours have been spreading round the drug dealers and thieves I deal with... They say Nighthawk's times keeping Tokyo safe will soon be over, and if tonight was anything to go by, you might need to upgrade from the old school kick and punch tricks."

Akaashi has been wondering when the day would come where all the criminals he angered would come back to kick him in the ass with a vengeance. He just didn't expect-or want it- to be this soon.

"So what do you suggest we do?" Asks Akaashi. Kuroo's face lights up, and not just from the oncoming headlights from traffic on the other side of the road.

" _Now_ you're getting it!" Says Kuroo excitedly, "you're the one and only Nighthawk, Akaashi- what do _you_ suggest? If we're gonna form a team we can't all be the leader."

For once, Akaashi is rendered speechless, especially when Bokuto turns round to look at him with an expression full of fondness and pride for his boyfriend.

"Why don't we talk about this properly over some coffee. I can't think right now."

"Sure," agrees Kuroo, "we'll head to my house. It's not far from here."

They sit in silence for a moment, with only the low purr of the car's engine making a noise. Bokuto breaks it by clearing his throat.

"So you're rich...." States Bokuto.

"... Yes, is that really _all_ you have to say from that?" Says Kuroo, bewildered.

Bokuto shakes his head, "And yet they can't pay for someone to fix your god awful bed head... Such a pity."

 

They pull up at a massive house with a huge gate to get into the driveway, two garages and a balcony that spans the whole of the upper floor. Akaashi isn't surprised one bit.

Kuroo parks outside one of the garages instead of inside and once they get out the car, he uses another key fob to open the garage to reveal what can only be described as an office and games room combined.

"Welcome to headquarters!" Kuroo makes jazz hand motions at the open garage while grinning. 

"Impressive," deadpans Akaashi. Meanwhile Bokuto is already sprinting to the couch against the right wall and belly flopping onto it. 

It takes Akaashi a second glance to notice a person sitting behind a computer desk at the back of the garage. He can only see their head where the brown roots of their blonde hair are already growing in.

"Kenma! I didn't expect to see you here!" Says Kuroo, appearing at Akaashi's side.

"My wifi's too slow," murmurs Kenma, briefly looking up from the screen. He looks like he's about to go back to whatever he's doing on the computer but notices Bokuto sprawled out on the couch and frowns, "who are they?"

"I'm surprised you didn't figure it out already," Kuroo smiles at Kenma then gestures to Akaashi, "this is Akaashi Keiji by day, Nighthawk by night -and by that I mean he's _the_ Nighthawk, that's not his stripper name- and _this_ bombshell right here is Bokuto- better known on the streets as Captain Owl."

Bokuto perks up at the mention of his alter ego then finally sees Kenma sitting quietly at the computer screen and gives him a bright smile in greeting.

"... Never heard of him." Says Kenma then goes back to looking at the screen. Bokuto's smile droops, as does his hair as he curls into a ball on the sofa, mumbling, "no one knows who I am. I'm useless. I'll never become a superhero."

Akaashi knows Kenma never meant to hurt Bokuto's feelings -if the look of concern wasn't enough of a hint. Not when Bokuto's mood swings didn't go away when he left the volleyball court.

Akaashi walks over and sits down next to Bokuto, but still gives him plenty of space.

"You didn't do anything wrong Kenma," says Kuroo and Akaashi now notices Kenma's concern is a lot bigger than he'd originally thought.

"Yeah. I'm just being stupid, so don't worry," Bokuto laughs but it's bitter and aimed at himself, "what's new though."

Akaashi hates seeing Bokuto like this (who does though), and would rather have happy, cheerful, confident Bokuto back. The only person who can bring him back is Akaashi; all he needs is time and a superhero movie to get Bokuto fired up again. A few kisses don't do any harm either.

"We're heading off now but we'll continue that talk tomorrow?" Says Akaashi to Kuroo as he takes Bokuto's hands and pulls him off the couch.

"Yeah, how about tomorrow afternoon, right here?" Kuroo gestures his hand around the garage, "do you want me to take you guys back home?"

Akaashi had already checked their location on GPS and found they were within a fair walking distance of their apartment, and since the party finished unexpectedly early, there was still plenty time for them to walk. Walking would probably clear Bokuto's head anyway.

He accepted the first offer and declined the second, guiding Bokuto out onto the driveway. He said goodbye to Kenma and hoped they'd have a proper introduction another time.

The next time they would see Kuroo, Akaashi knew he would no longer be a team of one, or even two like he was with Bokuto, but _three._


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahahah so it's time to brush the dust of this mess
> 
> This chapter is just filler for more exciting things to come, like bokuakakuros :3c (a few people have asked me if this is actually going to be romo bokuakakuro and just so no one is mistaken yes it definitely will be!
> 
> I hope you enjoy and thanks for sticking with this silly fic <3
> 
> ALSO! Charlotte (pitchoblivious on twitter) drew a doodle of the dramatic entrance of Neko Nya Man [here](https://twitter.com/pitchoblivious/status/647536357464780801) (she also get's credit for coming up with Neko Nya Man as a joke which I took a little too seriously) and Alice (lualovespugs, also on twitter) drew [this!!](https://twitter.com/lualovespugs/status/663126690705620992)

Date night is basically every night for Akaashi and Bokuto, considering they live together, but that doesn't stop Bokuto treating Akaashi to dinner at his favourite restaurant every time Bokuto gets his paycheck from his part time job. And no matter how much Akaashi refuses Bokuto to pay for his meal -they're both students living off the wages of a basic retail job; money doesn't grow on trees for them- the bill is always paid on the card with an owl pattern printed on the front and not the one with the generic plain colour most other bank cards have.

"Hmmmm... I'm in the mood for steak tonight.." Says Bokuto on their most current dinner out, "what about you, Keiji?"

When Akaashi doesn't immediately reply and stares at nothing in particular, Bokuto speaks again, "Earth to Keiji!"

Finally realising Bokuto is trying to talk to him, Akaashi shakes away his thoughts about the party and the man with the gun, as well as Kuroo and their agreement to work together. He looks at Bokuto who's looking back fondly.

"A lot on your mind?" 

Bokuto says it more like a fact than a question; one that Akaashi doesn't really have to answer if he doesn't want to. He has a few things he wants to get off his chest though.

"Do you think Kuroo has ever killed someone?"

Bokuto -who had just picked up his drink to take a sip- spits water across the table. It's enough to defuse the candle in the middle and Akaashi tries really hard to not let any embarrassment show on his face; even though some of the neighbouring tables are looking at them with disgust.

"Why would you think that?" Blurts Bokuto once he stops coughing.

That is a good question: why _did _Akaashi even wonder about Kuroo being a murderer in the first place? He guesses it's probably because of all the weapons Kuroo has strangely managed to get his hands on, and the fact that he's basically admitted he's done shady deals with gangs to keep up his undercover persona.__

If he's going to be completely honest with himself though, he can't stop thinking about all the reasons that Kuroo wouldn't be trustworthy, to the point where it keeps him up late at night. What he can't understand is why he is so paranoid, when Bokuto gets along with Kuroo like they've been best friends their whole life. Akaashi has eyes; he can see the rapidly developing friendship between Bokuto and Kuroo with them, and he knows their friendship is probably now strong enough that Kuroo wouldn't betray him. at least, he hopes so.

"He's pretty mysterious, so who knows," is all Akaashi replies with. It makes Bokuto laugh in an volume too loud for a restaurant.

"Kuroo still lives with his parents, he’s a complete dork and you think he's a serial killer?!" Bokuto tips his head back in laughter, "that's _hilarious!_ "

"I didn't say he was a serial killer," protests Akaashi but Bokuto isn't paying attention anymore.

He apologises to the other people in the restaurant for his boyfriend's behaviour, but is interrupted by a text. It's from Kenma.

**Text: Kozume Kenma**

>Kuroo is asking if you and Koutarou can meet him at "headquarters"... I think he means his garage

Akaashi laughs at the subtle sass in his new friends text, replies quickly with a _'been promoted to secretary now, huh?'_ then notices they're being the worst guests the staff have probably ever seen.

"Can we have the bill please," says Akaashi to a nearby waiter- not that there'll be much on the receipt anyway. Just their drinks.

When Akaashi gets the check and pulls out an appropriate note from his wallet so they can get out the restaurant quickly, Bokuto tries to stop him.

"Hey! We haven't had our meal yet, Keiji! Are you okay?" Concern paints Bokuto's features as he takes hold of Akaashi's hand across the table.

"Save your money Koutarou, we'll get pizza later."

Seeing Bokuto's face light up at the mention of pizza makes Akaashi smile but the slight hesitation let's Akaashi know Bokuto only wants what Akaashi wants to have.

"I'm in the mood for a pepperoni, aren't you?" He tempts, "and we've got business to attend to anyway."

He shows Bokuto the text and his boyfriend reads it carefully, then makes an _aah_ sound.

"Well why didn't you say so! Let's go!" Shouts Bokuto and marches towards the door while Akaashi apologises once more for the disturbance and gives the staff a generous tip.

Akaashi can't help but wonder if Bokuto's eagerness is from the prospect of seeing Kuroo again.

 

"Watch out Kuroo- there's a porcupine on your head!" 

Kuroo looks up in surprise at the sudden appearance of Akaashi and Bokuto -the latter being the one who made the jab at Kuroo's uncontrollable bed head- then laughs once he understands the comment.

"Oh come on! The only one with normal hair here is Akaashi," retorts Kuroo and Bokuto gasps dramatically.

"Akaashi's hair isn't _normal!_ It's softer than a babies bottom- feel it if you don't believe me!"

And that's how two incredibly tall people Akaashi has never met before find the three of them; Kuroo and Bokuto standing there, threading their fingers through Akaashi's hair while he just stands between them, looking done with the world.

"... Shall we come back another time or...?" Says the one with the glasses, pulling Bokuto and Kuroo out of the trance Akaashi's hair put them under.

"Oh, you're here!" Says Kuroo to the two newcomers, "I guess it's time to do some introductions."

 _Who the heck are these people. Why are they here,_ thinks Akaashi as the tallest one looks around in wonder while the other removes the headphones from around his neck.

"Let's all take a seat shall we?" Kuroo gestures towards the couch and pulls up two more chairs so they can all sit together.

Akaashi ends up sitting on the couch next to the tallest one (who looks like a mix between a giant, a cat and a lizard) and Kuroo, while Bokuto and 'glasses' take the plastic chairs.

"So I'll start off," says Kuroo, breaking the awkward silence, "I'm Kuroo Tetsurou -known to the bad guys as Nekuro and my specialty is provoking people to get the information I need... Don't worry though, I haven't done that to any of you. Take it away Lev!"

He turns to face the tall one Akaashi presumes is Lev and waits for him to figure out he needs to do an introduction, too. It takes him a while, but he gets there.

"Hi! I'm Haiba Lev, but one day the world will know me as The Ace."

"Nice, I like it!" Interjects Bokuto.

"My specialty is... Well, I don't have one _yet,_ but one day I'll be the greatest superhero Tokyo has ever seen!"

Everyone then brings their attention to Akaashi and he can't help but feel like he's in some sort of superhero support group as he makes his introduction.

"Hey, I'm Akaashi Keiji and I go by the name Nighthawk to protect my identity. My specialty is thinking quickly in a fight and uh.. Kicking."

Bokuto claps when he finishes then clears his throat for his go.

"Hey hey hey! I'm Bokuto Koutarou, but criminals quake in fear of the name Captain Owl! I pack a real mean punch; this gun show isn't here for nothing you know!"

Bokuto starts to flex his arms and Kuroo hollers, egging him on.

The last one in the circle -the only one Akaashi doesn't know the name of- coughs to get everyone's attention.

"I'm Tsukishima Kei," he says in a slightly annoyed tone, "and I don't have a superhero name because I didn't realise this is what we even came here for, now please tell us, what the hell is going on?"

Akaashi decides he's going to get along well with this Tsukishima guy as he looks at Kuroo, frowning.

"Uh, isn't it obvious? Nighthawk and Captain Owl -the saviours of our city- need a team, and I thought, what better way than to assemble one myself?"

"You promised me a lesson in self defence from two professionals, Kuroo. Not circle time with a bunch of batman cosplayers."

"All part of the deal my friend, all part of the deal. These 'Batman cosplayers' _are_ the professionals and the self defence will come in good time- they just need your help."

"Who says we need their help?" Interrupts Akaashi, feeling annoyed that Kuroo has sprung yet another surprise on him.

"Me, Keiji,” says Bokuto earnestly. “I agree with Kuroo on this one. With a team, we can defeat these bad guys once and for all. Don't you want that?"

Akaashi shuffles forward so he’s perched on the edge of the couch and he can speak to Bokuto, who’s sitting cross-legged on the chair next to him.

“I do but-” he hesitates for a moment, then murmurs, “I didn’t want to believe it was this serious.”

Bokuto reaches out for his hand and looks him in the eyes. “Trust me, Keiji. I’ve got a good feeling about all this.”

Does Akaashi trust Bokuto? Of course he does. Even when he’s not at his best, when Bokuto feels like he can’t do anything right, Akaashi knows that in the end, Bokuto’s gut instincts land them on the right path. 

Akaashi responds to the reassuring squeeze of Bokuto’s hand in his by lifting their joined fingers and pressing a light kiss to Bokuto’s knuckles. Though being any more affectionate with each other will have to wait for later.

Lev is looking at everyone with a confused yet excited expression, Tsukishima still looks a little pissed but seems to be contemplating the offer. As for Kuroo, he’s looking at Bokuto with an unreadable expression. Akaashi wonders what he’s thinking.

If he were in Kuroo’s shoes, he’d maybe be changing whatever opinion of Bokuto he originally held. When it came to the people he loved the most, Bokuto could become the voice of reasoning no one would ever believe he could be. Sure, Akaashi is the one who keeps Bokuto out of trouble which is a pretty hard thing to do. So hard that Akaashi can’t be his own pillar of support all the time. Their relationship works because they support each other, no matter if people can’t see this at first.

But still, it's all too big a jump for him to work in a team so quickly. He thinks about how long it took him to work well with Bokuto and his other teammates in Volleyball; how long he spent practicing sending the perfect toss to the wing spikers, so they could make it to Nationals and win. He could do it then with time, patience and the right group of people. With the bunch of misfits sitting with him right now though, it’s a lot harder to imagine. He needs time to see if he can trust Bokuto’s life in their hands, as well as his own.

What he needs right now is some air, so he stands up and excuses himself from the meeting. He makes his way out the garage door and takes a walk around the grounds of Kuroo’s expensive and modern house. The moon is much further up in the sky from when they left the restaurant earlier. It illuminates the driveway and faintly reflects on the two cars parked there, one of them being the car they escaped the party in. The shiny red sports car sits there in all its glory and Akaashi tries his hardest not to envy Kuroo; not because he’s rich (okay, maybe that _is_ a nice perk) but it’s because he has a home with a loving family- both parents, a younger brother and two cats to be exact. Akaashi finds it stupid that he should envy Kuroo in the first place, when he has Bokuto, his grandmother, his owl Asuka and all his friends- they’re his family. 

Maybe it’s time to head back. Even though Akaashi picked up his jacket on the way out, he’s still pretty cold from the evening chill. Kuroo’s garage has electric heaters- apart from the comfy couches, it’s Akaashi’s favourite thing about the place.

When he walks back to the open garage door, he hears the familiar sound of Bokuto, who seems to be in the middle of a conversation with Kuroo. Akaashi knows it’s rude to eavesdrop, but when has that ever stopped him. No one will see him hiding on the other side of the garage wall anyway.

“Don’t sweat over it Kuroo,” says Bokuto and there’s a thump that Akaashi guesses is Bokuto clapping Kuroo on the back with his signature ‘cheering up’ pat. “He just needs time to get to know these guys, as should they with us. I mean who knows, this could all be a set up and we could actually be the villains here!”

Akaashi stifles his laugh at Bokuto’s lack of subtlety, knowing he’s projecting his voice so Lev and Tsukishima can hear him. 

“It’s cool,” says Kuroo nonchalantly but sighs heavily all the same. “I think Akaashi is pretty upset with me though. Maybe I crossed a line by leaving him in the dark about the plan. At least I sort of discussed it with you, Bokuto."

When did Bokuto talk about this 'plan' with Kuroo? Akaashi isn't jealous, or even mad to be honest.. He's curious. Is gathering all the people here tonight the plan, or is there more to it? 

Everyone in that garage is there for a reason, though. they all want to be superheros, (other than Tsukishima) and it's all because of Akaashi. It's all because he started an unintentional trend of vigilante superheroes and got himself into all this mess. None of it is Kuroo's fault, really so in hindsight, he should really stop being so hard on him.

While walking back into the room, Akaashi acts as though he's only just arrived and smiles at Bokuto to let him know everything is okay. He glances at Kuroo too and gives him a slightly more reserved version of the same smile.

What if one day, he gives him the smile he saves for Bokuto? Akaashi knows the thought was in his head and it's kind of scary to him it was there in the first place, when he's barely known Kuroo for a little less than a few weeks.

No one can replace Bokuto- that he is sure of. But can anyone replace the strange impact that motorcycle riding, bed-head maniac has had on Akaashi's life, in just the space of two weeks? Akaashi doesn't think there's anyone else out there who will ever be able to. Not with the amount of drama, action and mysteries Kuroo has brought with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also if anyone is wondering, Hinata will appear in the next chapter ^_^


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!! Sorry for not updating recently :( I've had a lot of college work to do but I have two weeks off soon so hopefully I'll get some of this fic done!
> 
> please take note that some new characters have been added! Hinata also makes his first appearance wooo!!!
> 
> (a special thanks to Charlotte for reading over this chapter <3)

 

**_Even birds of prey can be hunted…_ **

When Akaashi first notices those words, written a dark shade of red for everyone to see, it makes him shiver, despite the trenchcoat and scarf he has on to keep warm.

He looks at the freshly sprayed graffiti, which is grasping the attention of every pair of eyes within sight. Who wouldn’t notice those words written across a gigantic billboard in a busy part of the city, not far from the Tokyo University campus?

City folk point at the act of vandalism and whisper among themselves while waiting to cross the road. Before the pedestrian sign changes to green, Akaashi takes his phone out his pocket and takes a picture of the grafitti. There’s something suspicious and unsettling about it. Also, if it is related to recent events, then the symbol drawn under the sentence might be useful to have documentation of.

While crossing the road, Akaashi overhears some of the conversation the couple in front of him are having. “Do you ever wonder what Nighthawk does during the day?” asks one of them. It’s no coincidence that Akaashi’s alter ego popped into the stranger’s head when looking at the graffiti, which makes things all the more worrying for him. Maybe he should check on Asuka, too.

“I bet he’s just like the rest of us... Maybe he's walking around the city right now!" says the other girl, not letting go of her girlfriend's hand -Akaashi assumes they're girlfriends anyway- as she gestures to the buildings and people around her. The girl with the glasses laughs.

"I'm sure he is, Yui," she replies in a soft voice, and then they walk in the opposite direction to Akaashi.

And so, just like Yui said, Akaashi blends into the crowds with his coat collar turned up to protect himself from the cold- just as any other normal person would. Maybe because that’s all he is. Normal.

 

\-----

 

As he walks up Kuroo’s driveway and makes his way to the door at the side of the garage (Akaashi refuses to call it Headquarters in his head), he stops when he hears Bokuto’s loud voice echo far enough that Akaashi can hear him clearly. He’s arguing with Kuroo about what Hogwarts house Kenma would be in (much to Kenma’s dismay). Akaashi laughs quietly to himself, then opens the door.

“Keiji, you’re early! When did your lecture finish?” Bokuto jumps off the sofa, whatever he was  
saying to Kuroo forgotten.

“About an hour ago,” he replies as he dumps his bag next to Bokuto’s. Akaashi has been here enough times now to feel comfortable and like he he can make himself at home, so when Bokuto ushers him to the sofa he does just what he would do in his own apartment- he lies down and takes up the whole space. He smirks as Bokuto whines _‘Akaashi’_ in his own endearing way and tries to nestle himself under Akaashi’s legs.

Kuroo just laughs at them from the other sofa- Akaashi doesn’t even have to open his eyes to know that ridiculous laugh belongs to someone he’s starting to consider a friend. There’s something about Kuroo that Akaashi likes. Maybe it’s his hair that defies the laws of gravity -he seems to attract the same sort of people- or maybe because Kuroo is so confident in where he stands. A lot of people say they feel like a ‘third wheel’ when hanging out with Bokuto and Akaashi for a long time. Kuroo never gives off that vibe. It’s like he just _fits_ into their life like a puzzle piece.

Opening his eyes to look at Kuroo, Akaashi is filled with a sense of ease just by looking at him; a complete turnaround to his feelings when Kuroo first drove into Akaashi’s world on that motorbike of his.

“Shall I complete the order?”

Kenma is there too, tilting his laptop screen for Kuroo to read over their pizza order. There’s another thing Akaashi likes about Kuroo. He cares a lot about the people he’s close to. It shows in his actions and facial expressions too, and it makes Akaashi think Kuroo is a lot more of an open book that he initially looks.

“Whatcha thinking about ‘kaashi?” Bokuto traces circles on Akaashi’s knee with his thumb and looks at him with wide, curious eyes. It’s enough to snap Akaashi out of his thoughts and he closes his eyes again, snuggling further into the sofa cushions.

“I’m thinking that the pizza better get here soon because I’m starving,” he replies. Bokuto hums in agreement.

He’s so comfortable in that moment he almost forgets to tell Bokuto and the others about what he saw earlier. Showing them all the image of the graffiti brings back that sense of dread he felt before he arrived at Kuroo’s. Kenma studies the picture the longest while the rest of them change into their vigilante outfits. Kuroo and Akaashi have had to emphasize the word ‘vigilante’ many times to Lev, as he is still desperate to wear a ridiculous superhero costume with a bright red cape just like Superman.

At least Lev has some enthusiasm about all this, unlike Tsukishima. He hasn’t shown up to do the late evening patrol of the streets, much to everyone's disappointment. Akaashi doesn't think Tsukishima resents them or what they do, but he is skeptical. If Akaashi puts himself in Tsukishima’s shoes, he can guess what he would be thinking- things like “what’s in it for me” or “what happens if I get badly injured in a fight.” Akaashi knows these thoughts all too well. No matter how strong his motives were and how much he wanted to protect people, that voice of reason in the back of his head told him fighting crime was stupid. He knows he made the right decision back then by listening to his heart and not his head- if he hadn’t, he wouldn’t be with the people he loves today.

A sound of the door at the back of the garage grabs Akaashi’s attention and a small guy who doesn’t actually seem to be much younger than him barges in and stops short at the sight of four really tall strangers in all-black disguises.

There’s a moment of silence as the newcomer takes in the scene before him, but then it’s broken by the strange sound that comes out his mouth, making Akaashi jump a little in surprise.

 _“GWAAAAAHH~”_ he yells and his eyes light up in delight, all while looking at Akaashi and Bokuto. If Akaashi were to define excitement, he’d show everyone a picture of this kid. If he were asked to define fear, however, the look on Kenma’s face would definitely make a better picture.

“You- you’re- _oh my god,_ you’re them! Captain Owl and Nighthawk!” The intruder points at them excitedly, then turns his attention to Kuroo, “And Kuroo too! How do you know them, Kuroo? Why are you wearing a costume? Kenma~” he drawls out Kenma’s name and runs to him with sparkling eyes. “Kenma what’s going on? Are you friends with them?”

Kenma puts his hands on the the intruder’s shoulders and ushers him out the garage. “Not now Shouyou. This is a top secret mission- I’ll tell you later.”

Akaashi observes with curiosity. He has never seen Kenma act like this before- like he’s really concerned for someone else, the guy Akaashi now knows as Shouyou to be more exact. Kenma gives Kuroo a look Akaashi can’t decipher as Shouyou tries to get back inside the garage.

“Top secret?! I want to help!” Shouyou wriggles through the space between the door hinge and Kenma, and runs to stand right beside Bokuto and Akaashi, his eyes sparkling with pure awe.

“Are you a friend of Kenma?” asks Bokuto while grinning down at Shouyou. Akaashi can tell he’s _loving_ the attention, as usual.

“Yes! Hinata Shouyou at your service, Captain Owl!” Hinata bows low in a sudden motion that makes Akaashi wonder why he hasn’t suffered from severe whiplash. Akaashi sighs. _At your service-_ did that mean they’d be taking yet another inexperienced teenager onto their team?

“Nice to meet you Hinata!” Bokuto says cheerfully and beams at Hinata. “What’s that? You want to help us kick some bad guy butts?”

Hinata gasps in excitement. “Yes! Protecting people is the main goal, but it’s so cool when you throw a punch like _gwaaah_ and _pwaaah!_ And then the bad guy goes _aarrghhh!”_ he yells and starts throwing his limbs around as if he’s in the middle of a fight. Akaashi looks over to Kenma in the corner, who’s looking at Hinata as if he’s just sentenced himself to a violent death.

In that moment, Akaashi understands. He walks over to stand beside Kenma, leaving Bokuto and the rest of them to joke around and make silly noises at their own leisure.

“You love him, don’t you.” Akaashi says. It isn’t a question and Kenma knows this too. He stares ahead at Hinata, trying not to show how worried he is. Though Akaashi knows that look all too well for him to be fooled.

“I’ll…” Akaashi hesitates, trying to find the right words to say. “I’ll try to keep him away from everything until he’s had some proper training, which might take a while…” Kenma stays quiet, so Akaashi continues. “Hinata is his own man, Kenma. He can team up with us, but what’s stopping him from going out there on his own? That’s how I started.”

“I know,” sighs Kenma. “Shouyou can do anything he sets his mind to. I just feel like this might be too much of a challenge for him. This is the real world, with real problems and danger. This isn’t volleyball.”

They stand in silence as Hinata shouts at Lev and tries to jump to his height while Kuroo and Bokuto laugh at them. Akaashi glances to his side and sees that Kenma’s demeanor has completely changed.

“Promise me, Keiji,” Kenma whispers as he stares into Akaashi’s eyes. Possibly even into his soul. “Promise me you’ll look out for him.”

Kenma’s sudden seriousness makes Akaashi gulp, he nods and tells Kenma he’ll try his best. It’s all he can do.

“I wasn’t happy with Kuroo doing all this,” Kenma signs, returning to his normal self again, “but then again, he wouldn’t have met Bokuto if he’d listened to me. Bokuto is good for Kuroo. I’ve never seen him so happy in someone’s company before.”

Akaashi looks over at the two of them talking to Hinata. Kuroo is laughing at something Bokuto has said, but it’s not one of those ‘oh my god Bokuto why are you so stupid’ kind of laughs that some people use -even if they’re not aware of it. It’s a real, genuine laugh, because Kuroo thinks Bokuto is funny, and smart and all other positive traits that could possibly be linked to him. Akaashi knows this is how Kuroo feels, because he can relate. That’s how he feels about Bokuto too, even when he’s aware of his downsides; of all the weaknesses that make Bokuto human.

 

\------

“Hey. Sorry I’m late,” announces Tsukishima, finally entering the garage with a woman Akaashi has never seen before in his life. _Kuroo should really find a way to make the garage more secure,_ he thinks to himself with a scowl.

Lev leans over and whispers to Kuroo. “Who’s she?”

Kuroo just shrugs, slightly dazed from all that’s happened within just a few minutes. To get everyone’s attention, Tsukishima clears his throat and pushes up his glasses.

“It came to my attention that we were lacking a professional trainer- not that I doubt Akaashi and Bokuto’s methods, but I think we might need all the help we can get. Lucky for us, my brother just happens to know a really good one.” He turns to the blonde woman beside him as she stands confidently with her hands on her hips.

“So this is the misfit bunch you want me to whip into shape?” she asks Tsukishima. She walks around the garage, taking a look at everyone. “Hmmmm, it might be tough, but I’m sure I could make you all look like _real_ heros in, let's say… Two weeks?” Hinata and Lev reply in excited noises.

“Okay let me get this straight,” says Kuroo, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You, Tsukishima Kei -the most uninterested, reluctant one out of the lot of us- went out of your way to find someone to help us?”

“Well.. what else does it look like.” Tsukishima says nonchalantly. Surprisingly, Kuroo starts to tear up, murmuring something Akaashi can’t quite make out- he thinks he hears the word ‘proud’ though.

Lev walks up to the woman with the usual curious look he gives anyone new. “Excuse me, but who exactly are you? Are you a hero too?”

She chuckles. “Something like that, my tall friend. Sorry, where are my manners! I’m Tanaka Saeko, pleasure to meet you all.” She proceeds to make her way around the room, shaking everyone’s hand, briefly stopping to compliment Bokuto’s strong grip.

“Ah, and last but not least!” Saeko cheers brightly as she shakes Akaashi’s hand. “You are _quite_ the topic of conversation in the Crow's Nest, Nighthawk.”

“Crow’s Nest?” questions Akaashi, puzzled. He glances at Bokuto quickly, who shrugs in answer, before looking back at Saeko.

“Ooooh right. In the grand scheme of things, you’re pretty new to the vigilante scene I’m afraid. While you were still figuring out how to hold a knife right, some of us had already made a name for ourselves and went to the Crow’s Nest for help.”

“But what is the Crow’s Nest?” chimes in Hinata. By this point, everyone in the room is listening to Saeko and Akaashi’s conversation.

“Okay, as much as I _wish_ I could tell you it's a pub, it's not. But! It _is_ a vigilante organisation set up decades ago by Ikkei Ukai, who takes young prodigies under his wing -kind of like yourselves- and trains them the most advanced fighting techniques and styles. It’s pretty rough. I just barely managed to survive my training and luckily scraped a pass. However, others have never been able to keep up with the gruelling training camps. I remember there was this one boy who quit because it was too much… Can’t remember his name to be honest, you’d have to ask my brother.”

Akaashi feels bombarded with new knowledge, not entirely sure what piece of information to process first. He shakes his head.

“Okay, so you know Tsukishima because…” Akaashi says it like a question, both to Saeko and Tsukishima.

“My brother was part of the Crow's Nest at the same time as Saeko-san.” Explains Tsukishima. “He left a while ago but he still keeps in touch with the crowd there. I asked my brother if he knew anyone who was willing to teach a bunch of wannabe superheroes how to fight, with the exception of Akaashi-san and Bokuto-san of course.” Akaashi tries not to laugh at the gasp and salty look that Kuroo directs at Tsukishima.

Saeko nods in agreement. “Yeah, Akiteru is a good guy. He was just a little too soft for a life of fighting crime.” Behind Saeko, Tsukishima makes a face that Akaashi could only describe as a look of disappointment.

“Y’know what?” Says Bokuto suddenly. “I bet I could do the training camp with my eyes closed. I could probably beat that guy who left without even lifting a finger!”

Saeko shakes her head. “Great enthusiasm, but I’m afraid Ukai retired years ago… That’s why you have me instead!” She claps her hands together loudly, making Lev, Hinata and kenma jump a little. “We’ll start tomorrow at dawn okay?”

Before anyone can protest, Saeko bids them farewell and disappears out of the garage door, leaving everyone slightly shocked.

Hinata is the first to break the silence, saying, “She was cool!”

Everyone else agrees, including Akaashi. With a team of six now -three of which have no experience in any combat- they could do with a little help from an expert.

“I think I know what my vigilante name will be,” says Tsukishima to Akaashi, Kuroo and Bokuto.

“Oh?” Kuroo sounds intrigued. Akaashi wonders if Kuroo’s had any more thought about his own alter ego name- Bokuto had been trying to convince him to change it to Neko Nya Man for real not too long ago.

“Parallax,” replies Tsukishima. “It was what my brother was going to call himself, but I think his days of fighting crime are long gone now.”

“Kuroo laughs. “You say that as if he’s an old age pensioner.” He starts to say something else, but Akaashi gives him a look that says, _that’s enough._ The subject of Tsukishima’s brother seems like a slightly touchy one. Akaashi might try and bring the subject up another time.

“Right, that’s enough excitement for one day,” says Akaashi. “Who knows what kind of shit the world has got itself into while we’ve been in here.”

He picks up his mask and heads out the door, the rest of his team following suit.

A lot has happened in the space of a couple of hours and the cogs are turning in Akaashi’s head. All he needs to figure out is where they go and what exactly they mean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sneak peek for the next chapter- a cool training montage, more new characters and 3rd Gym's first fight as a team doesn't quite go according to plan...
> 
> (I'll be honest with you.. I had "MOON BOY" written for tsukishima's name but looked up moon related words at the last minute and thought "oh, Parallax sounds cool and also kinda sounds like a dinosaur name" haha I have no clue what I'm doing.....)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello yes this fic just raised from the dead! I'm soooooo sorry for ignoring this series for ages but I've been really busy and a little unmotivated :( It's back again though!!!
> 
> I found it a little difficult to get back into the flow of this fic so if you feel like something doesn't seem right with it please let me know! I've changed some very minor details from the last chapter (just Akiteru's job which was an office worker before) but if you notice other plot holes hmu! (though i bet everyone's forgotten the details just like me XD)
> 
> There's also some new characters in this chapter too which I've added to the tags :3c there will still be more characters to bring in but not many more who'll appear enough for tags
> 
> Anyway I hope you enjoy!! <3

It's a gloomy Saturday morning, and most people Akaashi's age are either sound asleep, taking a break from a week of uni or at work - or maybe even nursing the start of a dreadful hangover from a night of intense partying. But for himself, Saturday mornings meant training with his team in the abandoned warehouse- Kuroo likes to call it _base camp_ , His house being _headquarters._

“Come on Lev, if this were a real life fight you would be dead by now!”

Lev whines from the headlock Bokuto has him in. “ _Saeko-san!_ Why can’t I take a break from sparring and just do some parkour or something?” He starts yelling for help when Bokuto throws him onto the crashmat and starts beating his chest like a gorilla.

“No one can beat me- the great and powerful captain Owl! Fight me, if you dare!”

Akaashi only needs to crack his knuckles from where he’s standing with Saeko to get Bokuto to gulp and rub the back of his neck bashfully.

“W-well I guess Captain Owl has a _few_ weaknesses…” He says and Kuroo stops using the punching bag in the corner to double over laughing.

“I don’t know man, Akaashi has told me you have quite a few weaknesses. What number was it last time? Thirty-two or something?”

Akaashi grumbles. It was only a mistake that Kuroo had overheard him mutter out ‘weakness number 27: he has too short an attention span to cook a meal’ when Bokuto burnt some pasta. Kuroo pestered him for days, trying to figure out what these weaknesses were, until Akaashi finally caved in and told him. Meanwhile, Akaashi vowed to never leave Bokuto unintended in Kuroo’s kitchen ever again.

He apologises to Bokuto for “spilling his secret” and as usual, Akaashi's is forgiven like nothing was even said. Kuroo sometimes comments on how they never fight like other couples. Of course they have disagreements and rough spots like everyone else- but even though both of them are stubborn as hell, Akaashi can't stay mad at Bokuto for long. This is definitely a two way street too.

“Bokuto, can I challenge you too?” Hinata says excitedly, which Bokuto replies to with equal enthusiasm. Akaashi decides it's best to leave everyone else to it and walks over to the punching bags to practice a little by himself.

Within five minutes of leaving, Kuroo joins him with his own punching gloves slung over his shoulder and protective hand guards tucked under his arm. “You look a bit lonely over there,” he comments.

“I don't mind being alone,” he says, but joins Kuroo anyway.

“I know- you've made that pretty clear to me.” After a hesitant pause that only the more observant people would notice, he says “I didn't know Bokuto’s middle name was ‘alone’ though… Can't say it really suits him.”

Akaashi snorts. “If that was supposed to be a joke, it doesn't really make sense.”

“Eh, I tried.” Kuroo holds the guards in front of his face and chest while Akaashi uses the red leather boxing gloves to practice his punches.

His punches are strong yet tactful, but even though Akaashi is putting a little more force into it than other people would, it's still not enough.

Sometimes, Akaashi can’t help but notice that his fingers are slimmer than Bokuto’s when they hold hands. It frustrates him that he has so many skills up his sleeve, but there’s always so many people who have more power than him naturally. He hits the guard in Kuroo’s hand with a little more force than before.

“Woah there Akaashi, that was a pretty good one! You look a bit pissed off though- something on your mind?” Says Kuroo with a soft smile.

His smile calms and frustrates Akaashi at the same time, to the point where all he can say in reply is “no” in a defensive tone. No one would be convinced by that. Not even painfully naive Lev.

Kuroo lifts the guards higher to his face. “Whatever it is that's troubling you dude, just let it out.”

Akaashi scrunches his nose at _dude_ , but he's starting to get used to Kuroo’s attempts at making friends with him, the same way he did with Bokuto. It seems forced, but only slightly, and Akaashi admits that he finds Kuroo’s attempts endearing.

Instead of burdening Kuroo with the thousands of thoughts running through his brain from the past few weeks -and that's not even including the threat of an enemy right under their noses- he continues practicing his punches in silence.

 

“I spoke to Tsukki earlier.” Kuroo breaks the silence.

“Tsukki?”

“Tsukishima,” Kuroo corrects himself, then stifles a laugh. “That's what his best friend calls him. I find it kind of funny how he wound up he gets when I call him that.”

“I see.. What did you talk about?” asks Akaashi, then makes a quick comment for them to swap over. He takes off his gloves and takes the guards from Kuroo’s hands while he talks.

“Well, remember when he brought Saeko? And his brother was part of the Crow’s Nest? I asked him more about that and he said his brother was nowhere near as good as the rest of the rookies and was always put on the sidelines. Many of his friends and the other rookies were much more successful and are all over the world now. It seemed like a bit of a touchy subject though, so I didn’t ask any more.”

“Is he the one Saeko said had quit?”

“That's what I asked, but apparently there were a number of people who couldn't handle the pressure.”

Akaashi hums. _Interesting…_

“Apparently he's training to be a fireman now,” Kuroo says as he starts to throw some punches to Akaashi guarded hands. “Which is also pretty impressive if you ask me! I think for a while Tsukishima was a bit embarrassed, or maybe even ashamed, of his brother. He wouldn't give me the details, but I could tell.”

Akaashi takes in all of Kuroo's words while concentrating on guarding himself. There's still so many questions that need to be answered, and this mysterious C _rows Nest_ just adds to the pile. What's most important now, though, is that they prepare for whatever is ahead of them.

 

*******

 

Two training montages later and the team is now gathered together at Kuroo’s, planning their first round of training out in the real world. Akaashi has been slightly neglecting his role as Nighthawk in favour of helping Lev, Hinata and Tsukishima train, all the while balancing his own university classes and studying too.

Saeko has also been a huge help to them, giving them hundreds of tips in defence and using different weapons in combat. She's also been great company- Akaashi will miss her when she finishes helping them train.

“If we need to go out on a proper mission, we'd have these headsets to communicate with both each other and Kenma, who'll be on standby if we need something looked up.” Kuroo shows them a small earpiece which he slips on. “This is just a trail run though, so we won't have Kenma this time.”

“Aw man,” groans Hinata. “Why can't we have Kenma anyway?” Kenma starts to blush at that, but covers his face with his hoodie, pulling the strings and mumbling, “I'll be asleep before you even get home.”

“Exactly,” agrees Kuroo. “And if we had him on the intercom you'd be way too distracted, Shorty.”

Hinata starts grumbling but takes an earpiece from Kuroo anyway, followed by Lev, Tsukishima and Bokuto.

Akaashi then takes his own earpiece, frowning at the device before he places it on his ear. It's gonna take him a while to get used to working in such a close knit team, especially now that he'll have their voices in his ear the whole time. Kuroo gives him a look like he can sense his thoughts. Maybe the earpieces are secretly a way for Kuroo to read their minds.

“So what's the plan, Akaashi-san?” Lev says excitedly.

“We stick together as a group for the first hour or so, then if there's no criminals around we'll split into twos so we finish the patrol quicker.”

They all nod in agreement, then collect up the rest of their gear and leave the garage. Bokuto swaggers out like they do in the movies when an explosion goes off in the background. Sunglasses would complete the look.

It doesn't take them too long to get into the centre of the city, where the last of the civilians are getting the final trains home. Tsukishima swings his weapon of choice -a baseball bat- in his hand before he places it over his shoulder. When Akaashi first started fighting in the streets, he used an abandoned baseball bat in his garage but found it too inconvenient. He wonders if Tsukishima will feel the same after a while too.

The streets seem incredibly deserted. Other than the quiet chit chat between Bokuto, Hinata and Lev behind him, Akaashi can’t hear any other noises. Is this a good or a bad sign? He’s not too sure yet.

“Ooooh when I find those bad guys I’m gonna _whaah_ and _pwaaah,_ ” Hinata punches the air in front of him.

“There won’t be any _whaah_ and _pwaaah_ if the bad guys don’t even show up,” says Kuroo. “But hey, let's consider this a _good_ thing!”

Hinata grumbles but doesn’t say any more. The six of them keep walking, checking any alleyways or bars for suspicious activity, every nook and crany. Either they’re not searching hard enough, or all the criminals of Tokyo have decided to take a holiday.

Akaashi starts to contemplate about them splitting up to finish the patrol quicker, or to even widen their search to the more suburban areas of the city. From the bored expressions from everyone else, it seems like the better option right now.

“Hey!” shouts Lev and points to two moving figures shadowed between the pathway of two buildings and hidden behind a dumpster. Lev is already sprinting towards them, but it doesn’t take Akaashi long to figure out what’s going on in the darkness in front of them, and he runs with Lev as fast as he can.

“Leave her alone!” Lev almost screams as he reaches the man attacking the woman and sends a kick straight to his jaw. It’s a bold move -one which the man absolutely deserves- but Akaashi knows he’d never be able to manage a kick like that. Even with his own height, he’d only get a kick high enough to the man’s chest from that far away.

The man stumbles back, away from the woman who takes her chance and escapes to stand behind Bokuto, who’s already come to help with the rest of them. Akaashi doesn’t miss her spitting at the man right before she runs away from him.

They don’t even need to start a fight with him though- it’s one man against all of them, and he doesn’t have a chance. He’s stupid enough to think he can outrun them though, and Kuroo and Tsukishima catch up with him in no time with the intention of turning him in to the police.

“Would you like one of us to escort you home?” Hinata asks the woman.

She shakes her head. “My flat is right over there and I’m sure you lot have made enough of a racket to chase away every weirdo within a 5 mile radius. Thanks very much for your help.” she quickly shakes Lev’s hand before jogging in the direction of her home. With the way Lev is now looking at his own hand, he probably won’t wash it for a week.

Kuroo and Tsukishima still have a hold of the man even though he’s trying his hardest to escape. “We’ll stay here and call the police to let them know where we are,” explains Kuroo. “The rest of you can carry on.”

Akaashi nods in agreement. “Okay, there’s four of us now so why don’t we split up and meet back again five blocks-- _Watch out!_ ”

Akaashi tries his best to warn Tsukishima and Kuroo of the man jumping out of a second story window from the building beside them and crash landing straight on top of Kuroo. He tries to chase after their captured assaulter -now free from Kuroo and Tsukishima’s grip- as he makes a dash for it. He tries to take back control of the situation, but it seems like their luck just took a drastic turn for the worst.

“ _Agh!_ A little help _please?_ ” snarls Kuroo as he fights back against the fully disguised man, only he has Kuroo pinned against the ground and he looks much stronger.

Akaashi attempts to fight off the three new attackers swarming around him and Lev, but he can’t make it to Kuroo. A newcomer with spiky red hair jumps out from the same window as the first attacker (how do they even land safely from such a height?) and charges towards Akaashi, ready for a fight.

From the corner of his eye, he sees Hinata sprint towards the man fighting Kuroo and jump at him. Hinata does all he can to take his attention away from Kuroo; he kicks at the man’s sides, wraps his arm around his neck to strangle him, even attempts to punch his face. And luckily, that’s all it needs for Kuroo to wriggle free and kick his attacker right in the groin.

Akaashi brings his full attention back to his own fight and ducks to avoid the knife in the redhead’s hands. His face is less covered up than the first attacker’s, and the smuggest shit-eating smile Akaashi has ever seen is adorning his lips - even with the scarf covering the attacker’s mouth, Akaashi can tell from his eyes.

As yet another person approaches them, Akaashi glances over at Lev who’s doing his best to defend himself. “Ace,” he calls out, remembering to use their code names. “I’ve got your back covered here, okay? Just make sure you’re covering me as well. We’ll get out of this.”

Lev nods and continues to dodge punches from the strangers. Akaashi turns back to the troublesome one again to see him chuckling to himself.

“What’s so funny?” Akaashi asks, or rather sneers, at him. He takes out his own knife from the holster on his belt and stands in a defence position. His heart is beating harder than it ever has before. He’s not even had a chance to check on Bokuto.

“Oh you don’t get the joke?” he replies without missing a beat as he takes another swing at Akaashi with his knife. “It’s just that you have quite a few inexperienced people in your crew and we have, hmm let’s see, a full experienced team of assassins that are ready to beat you to the ground.”

“If that’s supposed to be a joke then I don’t get it,” replies Akaashi as he gets distracted by another attacker and swoops down to sweep his legs underneath the intruder’s feet so he falls to the ground. “But I have a better joke for you.”

Akaashi takes a run at the redhead and swings his own knife in a flourish of daring moves, all of which are blocked by his opponent. He takes a few steps back to stop himself from getting cut and Akaashi uses those moments to call to his team. “Mark each other! Don’t let them catch you off guard.”

“ _Speak for yourself!_ ” says Bokuto as he helps Hinata fight the big guy. Kuroo and Tsukishima are now very occupied with a very enthusiastic kid with a bowlcut and a few more focused looking opponents. Akaashi wants to get them all out of this situation as soon as possible.

But Akaashi wants answers, and he wants them now.

"Who sent you?" he asks the cheeky redhead while sending a kick to his stomach. "Do you have anything to do with the graffitied threats around Tokyo?”

“ _Oof!_ Jeez, maybe if you stopped with the kicking I could answer you?!” Akaashi’s opponent almost shrieks. “Look, I can’t tell you that okay? But he’s not someone you want to mess with, trust me. I’d give up now if I were you.”

Akaashi pauses. “Give up? Why?” He keeps attacking his opponent but the asshole is just smiling at him like he knows something Akaashi doesn’t. He doesn’t like it one bit.

“You’ll see,” is all he says, and backs away completely from Akaashi, sprinting off to try and spring a surprise attack on Tsukishima, who luckily is prepared in time. Akaashi is almost too stunned to continue fighting...

Akaashi's brain is wired to notice fast things. Whether it be Bokuto’s wild pace when excited, or the ball flying towards him. Most importantly, he can recognise the swift movements of his enemies as they try to catch him off guard. He can see when they think they have the upper hand and lunge forward, and hear their malicious laugh as they bring out a weapon of their choice. Akaashi is sure of himself and his abilities.

It's only when he hears the yells of his name from Lev and Kuroo, followed by a cry from Bokuto, that he knows that he isn’t as fast a thinker as he'd thought.

… But no gun fires, no shot of pain strikes his body but a dull hit to his side as he's shoved to the ground. Akaashi shields his head with his hands to protect his skull incase someone kicks it. No one does. In fact, he thinks the other team might be retreating.

“Let's fall out!” Someone yells, then in a more threatening tone. “You've not heard the last of us, crows.”

_Crows?_ But they're not part of the Crow's Nest- was this attack just a misunderstanding?

None of that matters though when he looks ahead of him and sees Kuroo lying on the ground. Akaashi sits up and goes to Kuroo's side, where he sees the blood on his hands and the concrete. Hinata is already zipping open Kuroo’s jacket to get to the wound on his left side… It looks bad.

“We need to apply pressure onto it. Here, use my shirt.” Akaashi mentally thanks Hinata for surprisingly being the most level headed of them right now. It's not like Akaashi is any help. Maybe he has a concussion, since all words or actions seem to fail him.

“Keiji, are you alright? Oh my god, I've just called an ambulance for Kuroo,” Bokuto looks like he's about to cry. “Hang in there buddy.”

Kuroo grunts in response- thankfully he's still conscious. “Hanging with all I can, Bokuto. Is Akaashi okay? I think I knocked him over there.”

Akaashi manages to utter a convincing yes, but his head's still spinning. This can't be a concussion though- it feels too different.

“Kuroo saved your life, Akaashi,” explains Tsukishima, helping him up while Hinata and Lev try and stop more blood from flowing out Kuroo's body. Bokuto is helping too, but he looks slightly dazed. “That big guy was about to slit your throat and Kuroo tackled him... If he hadn't, you'd be dead.”

Akaashi doesn't know what to say. Never has someone taken a bullet -or rather a knife- for him like this before. Not with such bad consequences.

But Akaashi has no time to think about that. He can already hear the ambulance sirens in the distance- the team needs to act, and fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also just fyi Shiratorizawa are just the henchmen to the real villain of this story.. All will be revealed... eventually..


End file.
